After Khor Mor attack, Iraq’s factions and international partners press for answers

NEWSROOM — Iraq’s Shia Coordination Framework, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations on Thursday condemned the strike on the Khor Mor gas field, framing the attack as a direct threat to Iraq’s security, economy and federal system and pressing Baghdad to identify and punish those responsible.

A strike hit the Emirati-operated Khor Mor complex in Sulaymaniyah late Wednesday, igniting a major storage tank, cutting gas supplies to power plants and triggering widespread blackouts across the Kurdistan Region.

In a statement, the ruling Shia Coordination Framework said the “treacherous” attack on Khor Mor amounted to a strike on national installations that threatens Iraq’s security, economy and stability and “only serves those who want to weaken the state and obstruct the path of development.” The bloc backed the investigative committee formed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to determine who was behind the strike and said firm legal measures must be taken to prevent similar attacks, noting the strategic importance of the field for the national economy.

The Framework urged that the incident be treated as a national security threat rather than a tool for “political or factional” point-scoring, stressing that protecting state sovereignty and vital infrastructure is a shared national responsibility that requires unified positions and cohesion in the face of attempts to undermine security and stability.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad condemned what it called a “terrorist attack against the Khor Mor gas field in Sulimaniyah,” saying “we join the Kurdistan Regional Government and other Iraqi partners in calling for immediate action by the Government of Iraq to hold accountable the perpetrators of this terrorist attack, which is the latest in a spate of attempts by malign actors to undermine Iraq’s stability and to target American investments in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”

“We are prepared to lend support to efforts to protect this critical infrastructure,” the embassy added, saying Washington will continue to stress “the importance of Iraq asserting its sovereignty in the face of attempts to undermine it and ensuring all weapons, especially drones, missiles, and rockets, are brought under state control.”

The European Union’s delegation to Iraq said it was “very concerned by yesterday’s drone attack against Khor Mor gas field in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.”

“We condemn this attack against civilian energy infrastructure, which affects citizens across the country,” it said, adding, “We reiterate our commitment to continue to cooperate closely with the Iraqi federal Government and the KRG towards security, stability and reforms to the benefit of Iraq and the region.”

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq also issued a strong denunciation, saying it “condemns in the strongest terms the attack against Khor Mor gasfield in the Sulaymania governorate.”

“The attack not only harms the economic infrastructure of the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq but also sends negative messages, primarily against the Iraqi federal system,” UNAMI said. “Such attacks on civilian infrastructure are unacceptable, and UNAMI calls on the relevant authorities to put in place appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such violations.”

UNAMI said it welcomed the formation of a joint investigative committee by federal authorities and the Kurdistan Regional Government “to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”